Mark Elf has been on the Jazz scene for over 40 years.
He was born in Queens, New York in 1949 and started playing the Guitar
at the age of 11. He has played and or recorded with the Jazz Giants:
Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath & the Heath Bros., Wynton
Marsalis & Jon Hendricks just to name a few. His first professional
Jazz performance occurred around 1971 as a sideman at the Club Barron
in Harlem, New York with Gloria Coleman and Etta Jones. This
performance was a double bill with the George Benson Quintet.

During the 1970’s he toured with Lou Donaldson, Jimmy McGriff, Groove
Holmes & Charles Earland and recorded a number of albums with them.
He recorded his first album as a sideman with Jimmy McGriff &
Groove Holmes in 1973 on the Groove Merchant Record label called
“Giants of the Organ Come Together”. In the late 1970’s Mark worked
with Junior Cook and Bill Hardman in New York City and also recorded
with them on the Muse Label.

In the 1980’s he toured Europe with Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry and
other Jazz Luminaries and also recorded his first album as a leader in
1986 called the Mark Elf Trio Volume 1.

In 1988 he recorded his second album as a leader “The Eternal Triangle
with Hank Jones, Jimmy Heath, Ray Drummond and Ben Riley. This album
would be released in 1996 on Mark’s Jen Bay Record Label.

1993 brought Mark his first overseas record deal with The Alerce Record
Label and “The Mark Elf Trio” was recorded in Santiago, Chile. This
recording was marketed to radio in 1996 and went to #7 on The Gavin
Jazz Chart.

1995 found Mark recording for Telarc on the Jon Hendricks CD, “Boppin'
at The Blue Note” with, Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, Al Grey &
Red Holloway. This recording went to #1 and opened up some radio doors
just before the Alerce recording released in 1996.

After
forming his own record company in 1995, Jen Bay Records, he stunned the
record industry with hit recordings on Jazz Radio. From 1996 to 2004
all 10 of his recordings had finished in the top ten on National Jazz
Radio with nine of them going to #1 consecutively from 1997 to 2004!!

In
1996 he joined the Jimmy Heath band and also worked with the Heath
Bros. During this time the Eternal Triangle was released and it went to
#4 on The Gavin Jazz Chart. He recorded “As We Were Saying” with the
Heath Bros. for Concord in 1997. This same year Mark’s third recording
as a leader, “A Minor Scramble” was released. This was the second for
his own company and it hit #1 on The Gavin Jazz Chart. This was the
first of 10 consecutive Radio Chart Toppers!! The other eight were 1998 -
Trickynometry #1, 1999 - New York Cats #1, 2000 - Over The Airwaves
& Live At Smalls #1 - 2001 - Swingin' #1, 2002 - Dream Steppin' #1,
2003 - Glad To Be Back #1, 2004 - Liftoff #1, 2006 - Mark Elf Returns 2014 #1, 2015.

From 1970 to the
present Mark has taught Guitar and theory at independent studios,
colleges and universities in the USA and abroad. His clinics are
recognized as some of the finest in the world as attested to by Clark
Terry who hired Mark to teach at several of his Jazz Camps in the
1980’s and 1990’s. Clark says, “The students love his no nonsense
practical approach. “He’s a great clinician.”

Beside owning his own successful record label he also owns his own publishing
company. He is sought after for his lectures on “How To Succeed As An INDIE”.

Presently Mark is touring with his trio performing at festivals, colleges and also clubs